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Chiles Rellenos

Total Time

3hrs

Prep 1 hr 30 mins

Cook 1 hr 30 mins

From season to season, region to region and even field to field, poblano chilies can vary in hotness: the only way to test their heat is to taste one. These stuffed chilies can be made and refrigerated up to a day ahead. If the cheese filling is too rich for you, add more vegetables such as corn kernels or peas.

For the Green Salsa

Directions

In a bowl, combine the cheeses and toss to mix. Make a lengthwise slit in each chili and remove the stem, seeds and ribs. Mold 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture into a torpedo shape and place it inside a chili. Fold the chili around the cheese to enclose it completely and set aside while filling the remaining 7 chilies in the same way.

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the flour on a plate. In a wide bowl, using a whisk, beat the eggs until foamy, 3-5 minutes. Then whisk in the salt and pepper and set aside.

In a wide cast-iron frying pan over medium heat, pour in the vegetable oil to a depth of 1 inch and heat until almost smoking (about 375 degrees F). Working with 1 chili at a time, dip it in flour and turn to coat, patting off any excess. Dip 2 chilies at a time into the beaten eggs, then slip them into the hot oil. Fry until lightly browned, 2-4 minutes. Flip and brown the other side, 2-4 minutes longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Repeat with the other chilies.

When all the chilies have been browned, remove the paper towel and place the baking sheet in the oven until the cheese at the center of each chili has melted, 4-6 minutes.

TO SERVE: Coat one half of each of 4 individual plates with red salsa and the other half with green salsa. Place 2 chilies on each plate and spoon a dollop of crema or sour cream on top, if desired. Serve immediately.

For the Red Salsa:.

In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the vegetable oil. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, chili pepper and salt and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add the tomatoes and their juices and reduce the heat to low. Cook the tomatoes, stirring occasionally to break them up, until soft and the juices have reduced by half, 10-15 minutes.

Let cool slightly, then transfer to a blender. Puree until smooth, then strain through a sieve placed over a bowl. Set aside to cool completely for use as a table salsa. Or reheat gently over low heat to use hot. To store, cover tightly and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

For the Green Salsa:.

In a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the tomatillos, chilies, onion and water; process briefly until chunky. Add the 1 teaspoon salt and the cilantro and purée until no large chunks remain, about 2 minutes longer.

Taste and add more salt, if needed. Pour into a bowl and serve, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Reviews

Most Helpful

These were tasty but they were very messy to make. Prep took a long time, not even including the salsas. Once the chilis were roasted and peeled, they were pliable and it was difficult to stuff the cheese in without tearing the pepper. Hence, once frying them, a lot of the cheese oozed out into the oil. However, I had to rate it as 4 stars because all of the guests liked them and two of them said these were the best chilis rellenos they had ever had.